Worst is behind us, says Preity Zinta

The last three years have been a roller coaster ride for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. They finished third in the inaugural season in 2008, slipped to fifth the next year and finished at the bottom of the table in 2010.

It’s time for a new beginning and co-owner Preity Zinta is not willing to giving up on the team despite a shaky start in their opening match against Pune Warriors on Sunday.

How do you see the 2011 season panning out for the team?
I am always optimistic about our chances. We have never won our first match in the IPL. It is better to make mistakes first up as you have enough time to rectify them. This was just our first game and the team still needs to come together. We are not taking the first loss too seriously.

You have been associated with the team and IPL for more than three years now. Do you consider yourself a part cricketer now?
I only consider myself a cricket fan. I would have been a frustrated cricketer otherwise. I am an actor and cricket fan. From the sidelines, I only like to watch fours and sixes and wickets. In that way, I am only a fan.

2010 was a very turbulent year for the team. As the team owner how did you deal with all that happened?
A lot of wrong things were said about the team last year but we are glad that the court has proved our innocence. The kind of support we got from our fans, especially on Twitter, was amazing. I had a couple of movies in my hand last year but I left all that and concentrated on getting justice from the court for the team. But it’s all in the past now, I believe the worst is behind us.

Former skipper Yuvraj Singh was up against KXIP in the first match of IPL 4. How did that feel?
It feels pretty strange. I have learned that there is no place for emotions in sport. The KXIP players had become my family and that’s why it hurt when people linked me to Brett Lee and even Yuvraj.

Was it tough not being able to retain some players ahead of the auction?
We had a lot of restrictions put on us. The High Court order only granted us relief with one hour to go before the deadline to retain players expired. In addition to that, we had to furnish a Rs 100 crore bank guarantee before the auctions. We still managed to get some very good players like Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh.

Is it frustrating when you get to read stories about selling you stake in the team?
I used to get frustrated about lot of things I read. I remember what my mother told me, ‘People only discuss because you matter’.